The Best Presents Don't Come With A Bow
by illocust
Summary: Nightwing is back in Bludhaven. Damian stops by to give Dick his birthday present and stays for a night of patrol. Dick just enjoys having this particular company around again.
I started working on this a month ago. I couldn't figure out how I was going to end it at the time, but seeing as I didn't have much to do this weekend I figured it out. This was for the prompt "I got you a present". Let me know what you think.

"I got you a present."

Dick had missed this. When Bruce took back the cowl full time and he had headed back to Bludhaven, there had been many things he had been ecstatic to leave behind. Capes, grimness, armor that messed with his acrobatics were all things he could say he was honestly happier off without, but some things, like a short snarky Robin shadowing his every step and groaning at his puns, he had missed in ways he couldn't have imagined when they had first begun their partnership.

So when Damian had shown up on his doorstep earlier that night mumbling "I got you a present" as he held up an impeccably wrapped box, Dick had dragged him inside and fed him dinner from the first takeout menu he could find. He made sure to dramatically ooh and ahh over Damian's present. Just to see how red he could turn the boy's face with compliments and appreciation hugs. He hid his knowing smile when Damian had declared it too late for him to make it back for Patrol in Gotham. He didn't call him on the obvious premeditation of packing his Robin suit, or even phone back to the cave to make sure Bruce was aware his youngest had decided to spend the night with his eldest. He'd just grinned and teased the kid about needing to dye his suit blue and change his name if he was going to spend much time running around his city. He'd hugged his baby brother until he stopped squirming and curled into it, when Damian had whispered "I wouldn't mind that" in response.

Now they were flying across Main street, heading towards River Road and 2nd. Nothing big was supposed to go down tonight, so Dick had decided to eschew his normal patrol route in order to take Damian to all his favorite vigilante spots. It wasn't every day he got to show off this side of his city. The building they were currently aiming at was a favorite for quiet weekends. It had a set of banisters sticking out from its walls unofficially for his use. He'd saved the building owner from being tossed off the roof by some angry mobsters awhile back, but the old set of banisters had caved under his weight during the fight. Only a quick shot from his grapple gun had stopped both him and the owner from cracking their skulls on the pavement below. The grateful owner had installed the new set less than a month later. A set that was much sturdier than the old one, and if he chose to, he could have danced a jig on them without fear of their giving out. He liked to drop by here, when he felt down, and do various tricks for random passer byers. It reminded him of the circus to have an appreciative audience that wasn't in the process of trying to shoot him, and making a kid and family smile at one of his flips was its own reward.

As their destination came into view, Nightwing built up momentum on a grapple swing, letting go at the peak to sail through the air in a double flip before catching one of the bars on his way down. Yes he was a show off. If Damian hadn't figured that out by now, he needed to get his eyes checked. Dick let himself do a couple of rotations around the bar before he ended in a hand stand. As he turned his head to locate where Damian had landed, he couldn't have wiped the smile from his face if he tried. Robin had chosen to settle on the edge of the roof instead of joining Nightwing on the banister, smart call when dealing with structures of unknown soundness. Not that he'd ever lead the boy out on anything he wasn't sure would either hold his weight or be positioned where he could catch the boy if he fell. He had no intention of every watching another family member fall to their deaths again.

"So Little D, have you been practicing those flips I taught you?" Dick chirped at the boy now cautiously eyeing the banister. While they'd been living together, he had taken to teaching Damian the parts of gymnastics his earlier training had neglected. Talia had done an excellent job in teaching her son nearly any physical art form that could be used to turn the tides of a fight, but she had seen no purpose in showier tricks. She had discarded anything from the curriculum that had been just for fun or for the sole purpose of bringing joy to yourself and others. It had left Damian incredibly competent but lacking the flair a born entertainer like Dick considered essential. That was fine, Dick was a more than willing teacher in this area. Damian never did catch Dick's passion for acrobatics, but he had seemed to enjoy the time they'd spent together.

Damian "tt"'d at him, "Of course, I have. Are you asking for a demonstration?" Damian challenged, lifting his chin and widening his stance as if Dick had just thrown down a gauntlet. Product of his upbringing, Dick was used to it. The boy was a perfectionist, and he couldn't take any questions about his training without seeing accusations of inadequacy.

"Nah, I was just curious." Dick placated, as his lowered himself from his hand stand to straddling the bar with his legs. He reached out to Damian with one of his arms and made a come hither motion "I wouldn't object if you came out here with me, though". Damian hesitated momentarily, seemingly still uncertain about the capability of the structure to hold them both, before coming to a decision and edging out towards Dick, grabbing one of his hands for stability until he was close enough to sit down beside him. Dick wrapped his arms around the boy, and when he only got a minor annoyed grumble in protest, he tipped his weight to the side and flipped them both upside down.

"Grayson! What are you doing!" Damian squawked. He flailed at their reorientation, but both of their legs were still wrapped around the bar. Even if he got out of Dick's grip, he was in no danger of falling.

"No names in the field Robin. Besides, I thought you wanted to grow up to be a bat. How are you going to do that if you spend all your time right side up." Dick teased. Squeezing the flailing boy tighter to his chest.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Damian yelled. He threw an elbow into Dick's gut. Forcing him to let go. As soon as he was loose he pulled himself back up on the bar and desperately scrambled to get himself back onto the roof, away from the wheezing and now laughing older boy.

Dick didn't even try to pretend he wasn't having fun as he pulled himself upright on the bar. "Ah, come on Baby Bat," he might have had to pause to giggle, but no one could prove that "Where's your sense of adventure?" He reached out to Damian, who was now secure on the roof and backing away quickly.

"There is nothing adventurous about hanging upside down over a street for no conceivable reason, while there is a perfectly good rooftop not five feet away." Damian replied warily eyeing Dick as if he might leap out to grab him again any second.

It was an appropriate response as Dick did just that, leaping at his brother in a lazy tackle in lue of response. He'd telegraphed the move, so Damian dodged easily. Rolling further onto the roof and away from Dick.

Damian popped back up from his roll and started walking backwards as Dick stalked closer, "Don't you dare." Damian hissed at him "I will not tolerate you manhandling me further." Damian's voice and body language were annoyed, not scared, angry, or hurt. Dick would have stopped immediately if he thought his playing was causing any emotional harm to his little brother, but seeing as it wasn't, he gave a mischievous grin while he calculated just what he could do next. Their time as partners had made Damian adept at reading Dick's thoughts from his facial expressions. As soon as Dick grinned, Damian's eyes widened, and he took off running for the next roof. Unable to resist, Dick gave chase.

Their cat and mouse game quickly devolved into a game of rooftop tag, when Dick caught Damian and realized he didn't know what he wanted to do with him. He ended up just cheerfully informed the boy that he was 'it' and sprinting in the other direction.

Dick was having a blast, and from the smile Damian probably didn't realize he was sporting, so was his brother. Fairly early on in their game Dick had put away his grapple gun, relying solely on free running to help nullify the advantages of his longer legs and familiarity with the terrain. With Damian's tenacity and ninja training, the game ended up fairly evenly matched. They must have played back and forth for a solid thirty minutes of constant running before their game came to an abrupt end.

Dick had been chasing Damian across the roofs of several bars, when Damian suddenly stopped, Dick just barely avoided knocking the boy over. Damian doubled back to stare at something in an alleyway they had just jumped and Dick walked up behind him to see what had caught his attention. Damian had an awareness of his surroundings even when caught up in a game that Dick envied. It was the type you only got from spending all your earlier years surrounded by assassins, and it served him well in his new career path as a vigilante. Below them was a group of three men. Two big guys sporting one too many tattoos to have an office job, and weedy little guy that looks like he should be home with his wife not out in a back alley in the entertainment district. One of the big guys was pinning the smaller guy to the wall threatening him over what sounded like money, while the second big guy sat back and gave meaningful looks to the baseball bat he was carrying. Damian glanced back at Dick questioningly. Dick gave him a nod. It was a sign that he could take lead. Dick would cover whichever guy Damian didn't choose.

Once given permission he didn't hesitate, dropping on the thug doing the threatening like a hawk on an unsuspecting bunny. Damian took him to the ground fast and painfully, engaging him and separating him from his victim in one smooth move. Dick took a moment to be proud of how much Damian had grown. In the past he'd have chosen the guy with the bat, because he offered both the most challenge and the most opportunity to prove himself combatively. Now, though, he chose the guy who posed the greatest danger to the civilian. Prioritizing the man's safety over showing off. Dick smiled as he landed behind baseball bat thug. Sweeping his legs out from under him, then moving forward to put a knee into his back while he pulled out the zip ties. A few feet over, Robin was doing the same thing with a little more wrenching the guy's arm and threatening to take it completely out of socket if he didn't stop struggling. Downsides of being young, he just straight up didn't weigh enough to pin an adult male with nothing but his body mass.

Once the thugs were secure and the cops had been called, the victim had taken off without a word while they tied up the goons, Dick got them back onto the rooftops. He guided them towards a local ice cream parlor he knew for a fact wasn't going to call the cops if they dropped by in full costume. That fight had been a little pathetic to deserve victory ice cream, he was pretty certain Damian could have taken both thugs blindfolded with one arm behind his back, but this was Damian. He would never, as long as he lived, pass up a chance to shower the kid with affection. The fight was just a good excuse to do so.

The night staff had gushed and practically demanded an autograph when she had seen Damian. It turns out she had a twelve year old cousin in Gotham who had been saved from one of Ivy's plants by Robin just three months earlier, and he would "just absolutely die if his hero gave him and autograph. He's your biggest fan!". Damian seemed to be torn between blushing and strutting. Yet, he signed the young ladies work hat with a personal message for her cousin, and they skedaddled with their ice cream, as she excitedly squeed into the phone at said cousin about what had just happened.

They ended up eating their icecream on the edge of another rooftop a few blocks away. Dick was trying out the store's new birthday cake flavor and Damian was enjoying regular chocolate. They were sitting comfortably close, enjoying the view of the city. Dick wished he could do this every night. Have fun with his brother, watch him grow, and save some people. He reached out with his right arm and pulled Damian into his side. Though momentarily startled, Damian didn't object and settled close. "You know I'm proud of you kid, right?" Dick said quietly.

"What?" Damian glanced at him, apparently confused at the sudden proclamation.

Dick smiled at him and made sure to meet his eyes before replying, "I'm proud of you, and I always will be. You've grown up so much. I want you to know that and never forget it."

Damian blushed for probably the hundredth time that night and ended up burying his head into Dick's side ,"Thank you" he mumbled.

"Anytime kid"

Please let me know what you think even if it's not positive. I'm trying to become a better author, and it is a much slower process without feedback.

Thank you C'est la vie for the very helpful feedback. I incredibly prone to typos and small errors. I try to catch them, but I tend to just self-correct while I read without noticing them.


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